Drawing Closer
by Jack Coffison
Summary: 20 years in the future, AU. Dipper and Pacifica meet again after quite some time. (Cover art by Rebekah)
1. Chapter 1

Drawing Closer

The sounds of the night filled the air. Owls hooting. Crickets chirping. Gnomes vomiting. All the usual sounds of the forest. And in addition to all of it, were the sounds of a grown man struggling to carry a telescope up a particularly steep hill.

Dipper grunted, and groaned. He had been up that hill almost a dozen times now- and he still hadn't gotten the hang of it. By the time he had finally made it to the familiar grassy field, Dipper was sweating, panting, and chiding himself for joining a gym at the start of the year and never going. Not even once.

He took off his glasses and wiped his face. The trip always seemed to get longer. 'Or..' he thought with a grimace, 'Maybe I'm just getting older.'

He sighed. He had found some grey hairs in the bathroom mirror this morning. And then there were the glasses. And the look of weariness that seemed to stay on his face at all times. Maybe it was a result of spending so much time running away from monsters and powerful multi-dimensional entities. Or maybe it was because of all of those late nights spent obsessing over one thing or another.

He had gotten paler, too. A little more sickly. It was no wonder Mabel worried about him so much.

Dipper pulled a small piece of cloth out of his coat pocket, and used it to clean his glasses. He had celebrated his thirty-second birthday with Mabel just a few weeks ago. It had been a fun party- all parties were when Mabel was involved. But while everyone milled about amongst each other, Dipper couldn't help but notice himself drawing further and further away. It wasn't that he didn't like the people there. Mabel had pulled out all the stops. And she had invited everyone from Soos to Blendin Blandin.

But there was something about the group of people that made him feel... uncomfortable. And it wasn't the first time, either. Really ever since High School, Dipper had begun too reserve himself more and more. Until the only friend he had left, was Mabel. But even she had her own life to get too, and he didn't want to interfere with that.

And so, for the past few years, he had been almost exclusively alone. He didn't mind at first. Being alone certainly had its perks. But... He shook it off, and turned his attention back to the task at hand.

The telescope was bulky and more than a little heavy. But it was always easy to set up. That was why Dipper liked it so much. Well, that- and it was a present from Grunkle Ford. Dipper smiled a little as he pointed the telescope up at the sky.

"Let's see... visibility's little better than yesterday... Now, let's see..." he scanned the sky for a while, and stopped abruptly when he found what he was looking for. He pulled a book out of the secret pocket inside his trench coat. On the cover were a collection of silver spots and lines, coming together to form the Big Dipper. Underneath it, the number four was carefully inscribed in thick black ink.

Dipper flipped through it, and began scribbling furiously. As time passed, he would swing the telescope around, scribble something, and repeat. It went on for almost an hour, before he abruptly stopped. He slowly lowered his hands, as he stared at the nights sky.

"It's... It's happening again." he muttered. Dipper quickly shoved the journal back into his trench coat. His trusty trench coat had been outfitted with dozens of secret pockets, and in each one he kept something that no good paranormal investigator could be without. Stuff like giant-scorpion mace, dried screaming mushrooms, duct tape... all of the essentials. And somewhere amongst the labyrinth of pockets was Dippers favorite digital camera.

It was souvenir from the time he had been hired to track down an American were-wolf in London. It was the first case he had ever taken on by himself.

Dipper smiled at the memory, but quickly shook it off. Now wasn't the time to get caught up in nostalgia. He had work to do.

Up in the sky, the stars began to dance amongst each other. Dipper aimed the camera at the sky, and held his breath. He couldn't afford to have his hands tremble this time.

The stars began to join together to make shapes in the sky. First a triangle with a small circle inside it. Dipper took his first picture. Then the stars formed an X over it. Dipper took another picture. The stars went on to take the shape of a magnifying glass. And then a love heart. And finally, the image he had been waiting all night for.

A woman.

She had long hair, tied into a ponytail with a single long ribbon. Her bangs seemed to fall haphazardly over her face. Her eyelids were half closed over her big dazzling eyes, and her lips were curved into a smile. She was wearing a long, flowing dress, that made her look as if she was being swept up by the wind. Dipper took a picture. And then, he took a few extra.

This probably wasn't the weirdest thing happening in the forrest of Gravity Falls at that time, but for Dipper- it was certainly one of the more unique. Plus, it just had that air about it that made his Paranormal Investigator sensors tingle. It was exactly the kind of mystery he was looking for. One without a whole lot of danger- but still something he could sink his teeth into.

As the girl faded out from the sky, and stars resumed their usual places, Dipper placed his flashlight in his mouth as he made a few extra notes in his journal. "Are these messages meant for someone? Is it foretelling something?" he muttered as he continued to write as quickly as possible.

Dippers handwriting could at times be almost as florid and messy as his Grunkle Fords. Sometimes more so. Dipper liked to think of it as a sort of secret code that only he could decipher. That was one of the nice things about being a paranormal investigator. No one expected your notes to look neat and tidy. In fact, messiness was practically a prerequisite. Like with doctors.

Once he was finished, Dipper packed everything back together and made his way back down the hill. The way down should have been easier on him. And it would've been, if it wasn't for the way the telescope kept threatening to slip out of his grasp. When he finally made it to the old golf cart, he was happy to set it down again. He stretched his tired limbs, and took a deep breath.

The night air blew gently across his face. He appreciated it, as he sat down in the drivers seat. Dipper didn't like bringing cars deep into the Gravity Falls forest, and with the number of upgrades the golf cart had received from Soos over the years, it was a perfect little all-terrain vehicle.

As Dipper made his way out of the forest, he made a beeline for what was quickly becoming one of his top favorite places in Gravity Falls.

Ol' Lazy Susan's Pancake Steak House.

* * *

* ~ * GravityFalls * ~ *

* * *

Pacifica Northwest had once promised herself that no matter what happened, she would _never_ enter a restaurant that had a giant food-shaped statue on the roof. For years, she had avoided the Beuno Nacho, the Kansas Fried Chicken and the Burger Emperor like they were made out of fire.

And now, all of a sudden she had found herself walking through the dull revolving door of Ol' Lazy Susan's Pancake Steak House. A place that had statues of both a stack of pancakes _and_ a giant steak on the roof. On one plate. She grimaced at the thought of it. But- she was desperate. And, it was the middle of the night.

As she was greeted by the cheap lighting and aged decor, she has to hope that she didn't run into anybody she knew. Being spotted in a place like this would get her kicked out of the Yacht club, the Tennis club, and the Snooty Mini-Golf club. It was called snooty by the way, because it was founded by Walter T Snooty, and not just because almost everyone in it wore monocles and top hats.

As she took her first steps into the temple of mediocrity, she could tell right away that she didn't belong. There were no chandeliers. No candles. Not even a live orchestra. In fact, the entire place looked more like an aged retro diner than a restaurant of any kind. Still, she walked over to the counter and propped herself up on a stool.

Her makeup was running. She bit her lip as she grabbed a handful of napkins. She breathed a sigh of relief when she realized that she had been smart enough to take her purse before she left. She rummaged through it for a while, until she finally found her old pocket mirror. Naturally, it was pure silver, and lined with jewels. She flipped it open, and flinched at the face staring back at her.

Her eye shadow and mascara had streaked all the way down her face, making her look like she was melting. Her hair was a mess too. With parts of it falling over her face, and other parts of it frizzing in every direction. She frowned. She couldn't have that. Pacifica Northwest didn't look bad for _anyone_.

She grabbed a handful of napkins, and cleaned up her face. Then, she pulled her hairbrush out of her purse, and set to work. When she was finally satisfied with it, she pulled out a long ribbon and tied her hair back. 'I'll probably have to visit the salon tomorrow...' she thought. She checked her nails, and winced. 'Yep. Definitely...'

She sighed, as she pulled out her ear rings, and took off the long high heels that had been bothering her all night.

"Can I take your order?"

Pacifica looked up. Standing behind the counter was a tall, burly looking woman. With a short ponytail and ear-rings shaped like love hearts. Her shirt had a name stitched into it with thick red thread. 'Grenda' it read, followed by a small collection of exclamation marks. Pacifica frowned. She felt like she recognized that name- but she couldn't quite place it.

Suddenly realizing that she had spent the past few seconds just staring at a stranger, she suddenly panicked. "Uh- Chocolate chip pancakes, please!" she exclaimed. The woman scribbled it down on a piece of paper. "You got it." she said. Her voice was deep and gruff. Certainly memorable. But no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't place it.

The door opened again with a loud squeak as someone else entered the restaurant. Or diner. Or whatever the dreary hovel she was sitting in was supposed to be.

She felt her chest tighten. 'Is it him? But... He wouldn't follow me _here_ , would he?' she shot a quick glance at the doorway. A pale, scruffy looking man was standing there, rifling through his trench coat pockets. Pacifica felt her heart sink.

She didn't know what she was expecting. For her fiance to suddenly appear in front of her, and tell her that it was all a misunderstanding? To tell her that she hadn't really seen what she had seen?

Her hands clenched into fists. She didn't want to think about it anymore. She didn't want to think about _him_ , or how stupid she was to think that anybody would ever like her for reasons beyond her families money. She grabbed another napkin, and wiped the tears out of eyes.

Suddenly, there was a noise right beside her. She turned around, to find that the man had taken a seat on the stool right next to hers. She grimaced. 'If this creep tries to hit on me... Then I'll have punched _two_ people today." she thought. A few minutes passed, and the man didn't move. He appeared to be reading a book. Every now and again, he would scribble something into it, click the pen a few times, and then scribble something else.

By now she was aware that she was staring. But the man seemed so utterly engrossed in what he was doing, that she guessed that he wouldn't notice. Besides- it wasn't like she had anything better to do.

The mans hair was unkempt, but most of it seemed to be pushed down over his forehead. She noticed that he had a hat sitting on the counter next to him. It was a wide-brimmed, almost cowboyish thing. Something she guessed he thought looked cool in a movie once, so he bought one for himself. That was the reason for a great many fashion faux pa.

She drew her eyes down to his face. He had the beginnings of a beard forming on his face. Upon closer inspection, she could see a few scars on his cheeks, and down his chin. Most of them were thin, but he had a slightly more pronounced scar over his left eyebrow, and on the bridge of his nose. She probably wouldn't of noticed them from a distance, but now that she had noticed them they seemed to get more and more pronounced.

"Oh, hey Dip. I'll be right over."

Pacifica was jolted out of her observations by the sound of a voice from somewhere behind the counter. Suddenly, the woman with the 'Grenda' shirt from before came out of the kitchen, holding a notepad and a pencil. The woman approached the scruffy looking man with a warm smile. "You want the usual?" she asked.

The man closed his book. "Yeah. Thanks, Grenda." he said, as he suddenly produced his wallet. The man rifled through it for a while, before finally pulling out a twenty dollar note. "Keep the change." he said.

"Oh, come on. You know your money's no good here!" the woman exclaimed, as she ripped the money out of his hand. The man sighed. "Yeah, well- I don't want to have to owe you money again..." he muttered. "Thank you! I'll get your usual ready on the double. Oh! And Pacifica? Your pancakes are almost done!" the woman yelled.

At that, the man suddenly turned to face Pacifica. And grimaced. "Oh... It's _you_..." he muttered.

There was only one man in the world who would react like that to Pacifica Northwest. And right to her face, at that. And she couldn't hide her surprise.

"Dipper? Dipper Pines!?" she exclaimed. "What're _you_ doing here?"

Dipper turned back to face his book. "I could ask _you_ the same thing." he muttered. "Isn't this place a little _'low class'_ for a Northwest?"

Pacifica shot him a dirty look. "And shouldn't _you_ be out chasing ghosts and mermaids or whatever?" she asked.

Dipper shrugged. "I just got back from something like that, actually. I just stumbled onto something in the woods..." he trailed off, as he realized who he was talking to. "Never mind..." he muttered.

There was a long awkward silence, as Dipper scribbled in his book and Pacifica fumbled with her purse. Part of her wanted to leave. But the rest of her didn't want to give him the satisfaction of watching her retreat. So she sat there, stubbornly waiting for her chocolate-chip pancakes to arrive. It would probably break the various trendy diets she was on- but at the moment, she couldn't care less.

Now wasn't the time to be worrying about calories or sugar. Now was the time for chocolate-chip pancakes. Just as soon as they arrived.

She began tapping her fingers on the counter. 'How much longer is this going to take?' she thought.

"It's worth the wait."

Pacifica blinked. She turned to face Dipper. He was cleaning his glasses with a small white cloth, and still facing his book. Without looking away, he repeated himself. "The pancakes. Grenda makes the best chocolate chip pancakes in the country. Maybe the world. They'll be worth the wait." he said.

Pacifica frowned. "How did you know I ordered chocolate chip pancakes?" she demanded. Dipper shrugged. "Just a guess." he said.

More silence.

This time, Pacifica was the one to break it.

"Do you... Do you know her?" she asked.

"Of course I do. She's one of Mabels best friends- and she's known _you_ her whole life."

Pacifica thought about that for a moment. Then, something suddenly clicked. "Wait... Is she the loud one?" she asked.

"I'm pretty sure all three of them could be considered the 'loud' ones, but yeah. That's Grenda. She's the one who dated that prince for a while." said Dipper.

"Oh, yeah... I read about that. I thought she seemed familiar..." she muttered. "Didn't she also turn into a werewolf once?"

Dipper blinked. " _You_ read the Gravity Falls Gossiper?" he asked, raising an incredulous eyebrow. "Aren't you more the 'Snoooty Glitz and Glamour' type?" he asked.

Pacifica grimaced. "I'm not _that_ shallow..." she muttered.

"Just a _little_ shallow, huh?"

There was another awkward silence, as Pacifica turned her attention back to the counter. She could feel a familiar pressure building up in her chest, and she didn't like it. She had already cried enough.

"...Sorry." muttered Dipper. If Pacifica had heard him, she didn't show any sign of it. "It's been kind of a while since I last talked to someone..." he continued. "I guess I'm kinda rusty. But- Look, your not... Your not that bad. I heard that you've been letting the town into the Northwest mansion for your big party. That's nice."

Pacifica grit her teeth. "That was just a sham. My fiance has been campaigning for Mayor. And you can be sure he'll be coming up with some lame excuse for the next one as soon as he's elected." she spat. "He was using the party to collect donations- can you believe it? From the _townspeople_. It's not like there weren't plenty of super rich people there, but no- he has to prey on the others. Because he knows he can take advantage of them, and get away with it."

She clenched her fist. And from what she could tell- that was probably just the tip of the iceberg. The more she thought about it, the more she wished that she had punched him even harder. Broken nails be damned.

Dipper gave her a look. "You... you didn't know?" he asked. He looked genuinely surprised. Suddenly, she was beginning to reconsider punching a second person that night.

"Of _course_ not." she spat. "He was so sweet. And... And he seemed so innocent. At least- he was when we first met. But then... I don't know. When he found out who I was... it changed him. But... But I didn't think... I didn't think he'd turn into..." she could feel herself start to tremble as she went on. "I didn't think he'd turn into my _parents_." she said.

"I... I found out tonight... He'd been stealing from us. And... and _cheating_..." her voice had started to break, and she could feel tears sliding down her face. She grabbed another handful of napkins, and angrily wiped her face. When she was done, she shot Dipper a glare. "Did _you_... Did you _know_?" she growled.

"Well... I had heard a few rumors..." Dipper muttered.

"Why didn't you tell me!? " she demanded.

Dipper shifted uncomfortably on the stool, and suddenly everything clicked into place. 'He thought I _knew_. And I was in on it.' Pacifica felt an explosive burst of rage. And before she knew it, she had already punched him square in the face. Sending him toppling off of the stool. Pacifica grabbed her purse and turned to leave, only to feel a hand on her arm.

"Wait-"

Without thinking, she turned around, and punched him in the face again. Dipper grimaced, as blood came trickling from his lip. "Will you stop _doing_ that?" he asked. Pacifica raised her fist to do it again, and Dipper had already braced himself- when a gruff voice suddenly cut through the air.

" _Ahem_."

Dipper and Pacifica turned to find Grenda standing at the other side of the counter, holding a plate of pancakes. She sent Dipper a glare. " _Your_ paying for her pancakes." she growled. Dipper frowned. "Hey, _I'm_ the one getting punched." he exclaimed. Granda pointed at the pancakes. "You're _also_ paying for an extra scoop of ice-cream." she said.

Dipper opened his mouth to protest, only to slump his shoulder in defeat. "Fine..." he muttered. Without removing his grip from Pacifica's arm, he rummaged around in his trench coat with his other hand, until he finally came up with some money.

"Here." he said.

Grenda nodded approvingly, and walked back to the kitchen.

Dipper turned his attention back to Pacifica. "Look... I'm sorry, Pacifica. It was wrong of me to... to just assume the worst. But we haven't spoken in almost _fifteen years_ now." he said. "And people can change over that kind of time. And it's usually for the worse."

Pacifica could feel the wave of anger rushing past her. Replaced by an endless abyss of sadness. She could feel tears star running down her face once more. "You..." she muttered. "You're right... I have changed for the worst. I... I should've seen what he was doing. But I wanted to live in a fake little happy world. Just like the one I was raised in. And... And after I promised myself... and Mabel... and... _you_... I promised that I wouldn't let my family turn me into a... a _snob_..." she said. The tears were getting worse, and she felt like she was falling apart.

A Northwest wasn't supposed to lose their composure like this. But at that moment- she didn't care anymore.

"But that's what I am... I'm... Just a snobby little brat... Even now." she muttered.

"Mabel's pregnant."

Pacifica's eye's widened. "What?" she gasped. "Are you serious!?"

Dipper nodded. "Uh-huh. She found out just a little while ago. It looks like it's twins, too." he said.

Pacifica gaped. The idea of Mabel- the girl she had last seen wearing a unicorn costume and practicing head stands at age _seventeen-_ being _pregnant_... Didn't seem to compute.

"This is her third marriage. But it looks like this one's going to stick. You know what they say. Third times the charm." said Dipper.

Pacifica sat back down on her stool to process this. She had a fuzzy memory of receiving a wedding invitation from someone a handful of years ago... Was that _Mabel's_ wedding? And more than that- she had gotten married _twice?_ No- _thrice_?

"The first one was a vampire. Just like she always wanted. Unfortunately, the whole 'being nocturnal' thing ended up being a strain on their relationship. Then there was the accountant who turned out to be a demon. _And_ a bedwetter. But this new guy... Other than being a prince from another dimension- he's actually pretty normal. He's a nice foil for her." Dipper explained.

Pacifica took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "That's... crazy." she muttered. Dipper shrugged. "It's pretty much the norm for us Pines twins." he said.

"No.. Not the monster stuff- Mabel's going to be a _Mom_."

"Yeah. She's going to be the best Mom in the world."

Pacifica smiled. "She will..."

There was silence again. And, as if on cue- Grenda appeared with the plate of pancakes, now with a few fresh scoops of ice-cream on top. She set them down on the counter, and shot Dipper a look. "If you make her cry again, _I'm_ going to punch you." she growled.

Dipper flinched. "Yes, ma'am." he muttered.

Without thinking, Pacifica picked up her fork, and cut herself a piece. Slowly, she brought to her lips, and took a big bite.

Pacifica let out a girlish squeal that surprised herself, but especially Dipper. "This is amazing!" she exclaimed. Immediately, she took another big piece, and was about to greedily shovel it into her mouth- when she noticed Dipper's eyes on her. "Oh, don't mind me. There's no such thing as table manners this late at night." he said. Pacifica frowned at him. "Of course I'm not going to tell anybody, either." he continued.

Looking satisfied with that, Pacifica ate her incredible desert without any restraint. As she did so, a thought suddenly occurred to Dipper.

"Hey, Grenda! You can't post any of this anywhere online!" he yelled.

There was a long silence, until a small voice came from inside the kitchen. "But... it's so _juicy_." she whined.

"None of it!"

"...Fine."

Dipper seemed satisfied with that response, as he sat back down in his stool. There was a period of silence, until Pacifica had finished he pancakes and let out a tiny, satisfied burp. She blushed. "Uh... excuse me." she muttered.

Dipper smiled. "So... You feel any better?" he asked.

Pacifica looked down at her empty plate, and thought for a moment. "... A little." she muttered.

"Grenda's pancakes can fix any problem." said Dipper. Pacifica smiled. "Yeah. I can see that." she said.

Dipper pulled a napkin out of the napkin dispenser, and brought it to his lip. The bleeding had most stopped, but there was still a steady stream of blood going down his chin. He winced. _That_ was going to hurt in the morning.

"...Sorry about that, Dipper." said Pacifica.

"It's alright. This isn't the first time I've been punched in the face." he said with a smirk. "Listen... Pacifica? You're not... You're not a bad person. You _care_ about other people. You have a _conscience_. I can see it in you. The same way I saw it during the Lumberjack Ghost incident. You're... You're not your parents, Pacifica. You're _better_."

There was another lulll, as neither of them knew what to say next. But when Dipper turned to face his book again, Pacifica suddenly found her voice.

"What about you?" she asked.

Dipper blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Well... I told you about my love life. And... You told me about _Mabel's_... But what about yours? Do you have someone special? A... A _girlfriend_ , maybe?"

Dipper shook his head. "Nope. I haven't been in a relationship in quite a long time."

"Why not?"

"I don't know... I've been busy. Plus... I'm not the best at communicating with fellow humans."

"You'd do _fine_."

"I... I don't think so. Besides, what am I supposed to do? Go online? Try and talk to girls at Swollen Eyeball meetings? I've tried all that. It never works. I'm just not... I'm just not meant to have that kind of relationship."

Pacifica frowned. "But you _want_ one, don't you?" she asked.

Dipper sighed. "It doesn't matter what _I_ want." he muttered.

"Order up!" came Grenda's voice as she burst through the kitchen doors. This time she was holding a plate of steak and mashed potatoes, a plate of plane pancakes drizzled in maple syrup, and a cup of black coffee. She put it all on the counter, and gave Pacifica a wink. Without a word, she turned around and left. Leaving Pacifica to wonder what that wink was supposed to mean.

She looked over at Dipper, who was already hungrily lunging at his potatoes with a fork. She couldn't tell if he was just hungry, or if he was trying to avoid her line of questioning. It was probably both.

"You must've been pretty hungry..." muttered Pacifica, once Dipper had finished his steak and moved on to his pancakes. Dipper shrugged. "Yeah, I haven't eaten in... all day. I forget sometimes." he muttered. Pacifica frowned. "You know that's like, super unhealthy." she said.

"So is fighting monsters and stuff, but I do that too." said Dipper. Pacifica shook her head. "And how long has it been since you last slept?" she asked.

Dipper thought for a moment. "Well... Less than twenty-four hours. I think." he said, as he took his first big gulp of coffee. "Sleep get's in the way of work."

Pacifica frowned, and put her hands on her hips. "You need to take better care of yourself." she said.

"I'll be fine."

"No you won't. I _know_ you. You'll keep going until you either burn out, or you get yourself hurt."

Dipper frowned. "Then what am I supposed to do? This stuff is _important_ , Pacifica." he growled.

"So are _you_."

Dipper looked away from her, and cursed himself for blushing. 'I'm not a _teenager_ anymore...' he grumbled inwardly.

Pacifica herself looked more than a little embarrassed about what she had just said. But wouldn't take it back. She meant it. Maybe more than she than she thought she did. Maybe a lot more. She bit her lip, as old feelings came rushing back to her. Feelings she thought she had lost a long time ago. She looked at Dipper, and felt her heart skip a beat. They were alone. (Mostly). And her parents, the people at the country club, the yacht club- even her ex-fiance. None of them mattered anymore. Not as much as _he_ did. She bit her lip.

"You know..." she muttered. "Back when I was a kid... You were one of my first big crushes."

Black coffee practically exploded out of Dippers nose and mouth, and he almost fell off of the stool again. After a good two minutes of loud coughing and sputtering, he regained his composure. "Is... Is that so?" he squeaked.

Pacifica nodded. "Uh-huh." she said, as she slowly inched closer to him.

Dipper gulped. "W-well, I guess I'd better get going. It is getting late and all." he sputtered, as he got up from the stool.

"What are you afraid of?" asked Pacifica.

"Wha- Who? M-me? I'm not afraid of anything!" said Dipper, as he slowly backed away.

Pacifica didn't let him. She grabbed him by the collar, and held him in place.

"Uh... Pacifica? Your confused... a-and, you _can't_ \- I mean, I'm... I'm _me_. Girls don't like _me_. I mean- _look_." Dipper pushed his hair back, revealing a birthmark on his forehead, shaped like the Big Dipper. "See? You want someone better. You-"

Pacifica cut him off. "The last time you left... I cried. All night. And Grenda said that if you made me cry again- she'd punch you in the face. Remember?"

Dipper opened his mouth to say something, but he was cut off, when Pacifica pulled him towards her, and he felt her soft pink lips press against his own.

Everything went blank. Pacifica could taste pancakes, coffee and just hint of blood. Dipper could taste chocolate, ice-cream and lipstick. And that was the only thing going on in their minds. That is, until they heard the sound of a 'click' from behind the counter. Dipper pulled away.

"Grend- Candy!?" he exclaimed.

Candy was holding her phone up in front of her, and wearing an enormous grin. "Grenda called me as soon as she saw you two sitting together." she said. And with that, she ran off. Dipper moved to chase her, only to be pulled back by Pacifica. "Don't worry so much..." she muttered, before pulling back into a kiss.

And for the first time he could remember, all of his worries melted away. Gravity Falls, the Journal he had just spit black coffee all over- none of it seemed to matter anymore.

Because for the first time in a long time, he wasn't alone.

And neither was she.

* * *

* ~ * GravityFalls * ~ *

* * *

 _"Hey, Asmiohotep?"_

 _"Yeah?"_

 _"You think the kid who beat Bill got our message?"_

 _"Yeah, I think so. I mean- how clear can you get? 'The one who beat Bill, should search for love, with- uh, what's her name?"_

 _"Pacifica Northwest."_

 _"Yeah. Pacifica Northwest."_

 _"You think maybe we should've used words instead of pictures?"_

 _"Geez. Listen to yourself. And you call yourself a mysterious all-powerful force? You can't just spell these things out. You have to make it complicated. It makes you seem smart."_

 _"Oh... Okay."_

* * *

 _THE END_

* * *

(AN: So... this took a lot of effort. I would much appreciate any reviews or comments. Thanks for reading!)


	2. Chapter 2

Drawing Closer, Part Two

 _The mansion was empty. No matter where she went, no matter where she looked- she couldn't find a single soul. All that was there were the paintings. The priceless antiques. The expensive rugs. The enormous chandeliers. The fancy imported furniture. All of the things that were meant to remind anybody who saw them exactly what kind of family the Northwests were._

 _Rich._

 _Powerful._

 _Perfect._

 _Pacifica ran down the halls. Up the stairwell. Down the stairwell. She went through every door. Looked into every secret room. Behind every painting._

 _She was searching for something. Frantically. Her whole body engulfed in desperation. And fear._

 _Suddenly, she stopped. Frozen._

 _Her parents were standing just a few feet away from her. Their backs turned. She wanted to run. But she couldn't. Her legs were stuck firmly in place._

 _"We are very disappointed... Pacifica."_

 _"So very... very... disappointed."_

 _They began to turn around, very slowly._

 _"Yes..."_

 _Their eyes were black. Their skin paper white. As streams of black goo dripped down from their eyes, they bore their fangs._

 _"We'll simply have to find a new daughter..."_

 _"Indeed... This one... Is broken..."_

 _They lunged at her. Giving Pacifica just enough time to scream before-_

Pacifica's eyes shot open. She gasped for air as everything around her seemed to blur. It took a while for her to realize where she was, and a bit longer to realize that what she had just seen was just a nightmare. She wrapped her arms around her chest, and tried to calm herself. She was still trembling. And she had drenched the sheets with sweat.

She took another deep breath.

She had spent the night at the Mystery Shack. Up in the attic, sleeping in what appeared to be Dippers old bed. Dipper had opted to sleep downstairs on the couch, despite a few fairly out of character invitations from Pacifica to... _stay_. Pacifica blushed, as all of the memories from the night before suddenly came rushing back.

The pancakes.

Dipper.

And the _kiss_. A flood of warmth washed over her. That had happened. It _really_ happened.

Pacifica sat up, and ran her fingers through her hair. 'I probably seem like such a mess...' she thought. 'If anyone else saw me right now...' she shuddered at the thought. If any of the events from last night went public it would cause a firestorm of incredible proportions. Not just from her parents, either. There was also the matter of her ex-fiance.

She bit her lip. The people of Gravity Falls had been tricked into thinking that he was the nicest, most noble person in the world. Just like she had. And she knew that he would waste no time painting her as the bad guy. She would probably find herself being run out of town.

Her hands balled into fists. A part of her wished that she had never found out the truth. So that she could wallow in blissful ignorance for the rest of her life. But then, if she hadn't found out when she did... She might never have run into Dipper again.

She smiled, as she got up out of bed.

'And now... I get to see him _again_.' she thought. She blushed as she reached for her purse.

It had been a long time since she had seen either one of the Pines twins. In fact, it had been a long time since she had last dared to venture beyond the little social circle she had constructed for herself after college. At the moment, her social circle consisted of Hershey Befufftlefumpter, Carrie Westernsmithenshire and Trixie Valledievanbosch. They were all rich girls like herself, although a bit further up on the snobby scale.

Hershey was the adventurous one. Always on the look out for a new club or fancy restaurant to go to.

Carrie was the funny one. Although all of her material tended to be based on making fun of everything and everyone around her, she usually managed to walk the line between funny and just plain mean. Usually.

Trixie was the quiet one. Pacifica didn't know all that much about Trixie, except that she had overbearing parents and an even more overbearing husband. And it was always fun to see her come out of her shell- even if it was just a little.

They went everywhere together. The nail salon, the hairdressers, wine tasting ceremony's, and every kind of frilly fancy-pants party you could imagine. But even though they had known each other since since college, it was still hard for her to figure out if they were all really friends. They were regularly snippy with each other. And sometimes, all of the gossip could get overwhelming. But every now and again, all of the pretenses and the fakeness would fall away. And they would share a vulnerability with each other that would stay secret to the outside world.

But even after something like that, Pacifica couldn't help but hold them at arms length. The last time she had friends like that, they had betrayed her. They always did.

She bit her lip. Her friends had really liked her ex-fiance. Would they take his side? Would they buy whatever lies he told them to make her out to be the bad guy?

She picked up her purse, and took a deep breath. She was going to check her phone, but now... It didn't seem like a good idea anymore. She didn't want to see the long list of missed calls from her parents... or the text messages she no doubt received from _him_. But most of all, she didn't want to face her friends. Not yet, at least.

So she left her purse on the bed, and left the room. She didn't have time for distractions anyway. Because she had a new goal in mind. A new challenge. It would probably be the hardest thing she had ever had to do, but she was going to do it.

She was going to go talk to Dipper Pines. And maybe, just _maybe..._ make him love her.

* * *

* ~ * GravityFalls * ~ *

* * *

Dipper cracked a few eggs, and scrambled them in the pan. As they cooked, he walked across the room and pulled some bacon out of the fridge. Bacon and eggs probably weren't the most original breakfast in the world, but they were definitely one of the easiest. Even for someone with less than amazing cooking skills.

He pulled out three plates, and placed them on the table. As he served the eggs and put the bacon on the pan, he could hear movement from outside the kitchen. He went back to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of prune juice.

"Breakfast is almost ready!" he announced.

Suddenly, someone popped into the kitchen. But it wasn't who he was expecting.

"Good morning... Dipper." said Pacifica, as she slinked through the room. She was still wearing the same fancy dress she had been wearing last night. Although it was considerably wrinkled by now. And her hair was uncharacteristically messy. But something about that made her look ever more alluring.

Dipper almost let out a noise usually reserved for a scared mouse. But instead he cleared his throat. "Uh... Good morning, Pacifica. L-like I said... Breakfast is almost ready." he said.

Pacifica glanced at it, and then back to Dipper. "Oh... Thanks..." she muttered.

Dipper frowned. "What, are you on one of those fad diets or something?" he asked.

"Well... Not since last night."

"You don't even need to worry about that stuff, Pacifica. You look perfect enough as it-" he cut himself off, realizing his mistake. Unfortunately for him, it was all too late.

Pacifica grinned. "Oh? What was that, Dipper? Did you just say something... _nice_?" she asked.

Dipper scoffed. "Who? Me? Nice? Say? Did? No!" he sputtered.

Pacifica giggled, as she reached her hand up to his cheek. "You really are _adorable_..." she muttered. Dipper felt his face begin to flush. 'Oh, come on! I'm too old to be acting like some awkward teenager.' he thought. Still, that didn't stop his from flinching when her fingers traced the scar on his eyebrow, and blushing even more.

"So... how did this happen?" she asked.

"I... don't remember. I've got a lot of scars. I-... I can't always keep track of them..." he muttered.

"Is that so?"

"Yes. It is."

"Maybe you should take better care of myself."

"... I get that all the time."

"Oh, you do? Then why haven't you started doing it yet?"

Dipper frowned. "In my line of work... playing it too safe can be just hazardous as being reckless. You've gotta find a middle-ground for any given situation. And... Well, I don't always find it." he muttered. Pacifica was drawing closer, and as she did, his thoughts seemed to get more and more erratic. He gulped, as she slowly parted her lips.

"I've... I've heard some of the stories. You're pretty popular among some of the conspiracy sites... Did you really fight aliens on the Titanic Mark 3?" she asked. Dipper was getting far too aware of her presence than he was comfortable with. Still, he wasn't going to let her see that.

"They... They were more like mutants, actually..." he muttered. "Not... uh... It wasn't a big deal."

"Oh? And what about the giant ants in the New York subway? or the giant _aunt_ in the Netherlands?" she asked.

"That last one was a fake. Just a giant balloon with a smiley face on it- Wait, have you been... Keeping track of me?" asked Dipper. Suddenly, Pacifica drew back. She looked nervous, as she pretended to clear her throat.

"Uh... N-not... Not really. I just... Found articles every now and again... You know... Online... A-and... And in the Gravity Falls Observer... You know that paper still has a section dedicated just to _you_." muttered Pacifica, as she did her best to hide the embarrassment on her face.

But Dipper wouldn't let her retreat. Not yet. He raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know you were such a _fan_ , Pacifica." he said, enjoying the red glow that had suddenly appeared on her face. The weird game they were playing had suddenly got a lot more fun now that he was winning.

Unfortunately, Pacifica was quick to recover and launch her counter-attack. She crept up to him, closer than ever. Their bodies very nearly touching, as she drew her lips to his ear. "I'm not just a _fan_ , Dipper..." she whispered.

All of a sudden, his ability to think seemed to disappear. Their faces were so _close_. And he currently being overwhelmed with a sudden need to close that distance. His heart was pounding against his chest, as he stared into her eyes.

"Uh... Am I interrupting something?"

Dipper and Pacifica spun around, to find Grunkle Stan at the kitchens entrance, looking both embarrassed and mildly amused. He was sitting in a wheelchair, with a blanket draped over his legs. His hair was white and thin, but it was still there. Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for his teeth. But- that was what dentures were for.

Grunkle Stan was in his nineties was something of a miracle in and of itself, considering the kind of life he had lead. He had an oxygen tank hanging on the back of the wheel chair, and the mask hanging around the chest. It was a useful thing to have. And not just because it made the visitors at the Mystery Shack feel like they had to spend more money. Although that was definitely a perk.

Dipper coughed, as he quickly back away from Pacifica. 'Th-that was close. Geez, she's making me act like some hormone-struck _teenager_!' he thought, as he did his best to collect himself. "Uh... Uh- Good morning Grunkle Stan! I uh- Breakfast is almost ready... And your prune juice is on the table." he said.

Grunkle Stan raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, and from what I'm smelling- I'd say your doin' a good job burning the bacon, too." he said.

"Ah! Oh, no!" Dipper squealed, as he rushed to flip the bacon strips on the pan. Grunkle Stan chuckled to himself as he watched his great nephew fumble with the pan, and slowly wheeled himself to the kitchen table. Pacifica took a deep breath, and tried her best to hide her embarrassment- not to mention the slight bit of disappointment.

"Uh- H-hello, sir... My name is-" she began, only to be interrupted.

"Pacifica Northwest. Yeah, I know you. I've lived here for over sixty years now, you know." said Grunkle Stan, as he poured himself a glass of prune juice. "Yeah, you're one of those rich girl types, right? Probably play a bunch've tennis in your spare time." he continued.

Pacifica looked down at the floor, and bit her lip. "Um... Mini-golf." she muttered.

Grunkle Stan snapped his fingers. "Right. You're the mini-golf girl." he said, before taking a gulp of prune juice. He winced. "I really hate this stuff... But, it's what we old guys're supposed to drink, apparently." he said.

Pacifica didn't know how to respond, so she just nodded. As Dipper began to set the table, he offered her a chair. And she happily took it.

As they ate their breakfast, Pacifica did her best to be as careful as possible with her fork. She didn't have a napkin, so she held her hand under the fork as she drew her food to her mouth. The boys were almost the complete opposite. Dipper had already finished his scrambled eggs, and was busily eating the bacon with his hands. Stan did the same, only with the addition of a few 'old man' noises.

Dipper finished first, and quickly put the dish in the sink before turning to leave. "Uh- I've gotta go, uh, do stuff. Bye!" he said. And before anyone could so much as open their mouths, he ran.

Pacifica pouted as she watched him make his escape. Next time it wasn't going to be so easy...

"So..." muttered Grunkle Stan, putting a sudden stop to the many plans she had running through her mind.

"What's up with that fancy fiance o' yours? He a total fraud or what?" he asked.

Pacifica bit her lip, as she felt a lump form in her throat. She didn't want to think about _him_ ever again. She was done with him. In fact, she was about ready to be done with all men. _Dipper_ of course, being an exception. She looked down at the table, and slowly nodded.

Grunkle Stan let out a snort. "Figures. You know I always say you can't trust a guy with a ponytail. Especially if they use hair-gel along with it. I mean, come on! You can't mix those things together! Why would you even _want_ too? What, you think it makes it look _better_? No, it makes you look like a slick piece of-" Grunkle Stan cut himself off to swallow another gulp of prune juice.

" _Junk_." he finished. "I bet the guy spends a few hours lookin' at the mirror every day. At _least_."

Pacifica felt the corners of her mouth tug upwards. Something about that rant reminded her of Dipper. It did sound awfully similar to something he would say.

"Speakin' of which..." he said, as he carefully lowered his voice. "That boy took a shower this morning, _and_ he shaved... So I'm guessing you must be something special. Because Dipper doesn't clean himself up for _anyone_."

Pacifica blushed. "R-... Really?" she muttered.

"Yeah, really. So once you finish up here, I'll show you the place he likes to go to scribble in that journal of his." said Grunkle Stan.

Pacifica grinned. "Thanks!" she said.

"Yeah, yeah. Just try not to drag too much of that lovey-dovey stuff back into the shack. It's called the 'Mystery Shack', not the 'Lovey-Dovey... Smooshy... Whatever, Shack. Although... I could probably make a decent amount on Valentines Day..." he muttered, as he rubbed his chin in thought.

Pacifica continued to smile, as the two of them finished their breakfast together.

* * *

* ~ * GravityFalls * ~ *

* * *

"Shmebulock... Hungry."

"Sorry... I kinda forgot to bring you something... Uh... How about this Terracus Fungoid? It's non-poisonous!" said Dipper, as he offered the old gnome a mushroom. Shmebulock sniffed at it, shrugged, and shoved it in his mouth. Dipper glanced at the happy little gnome, and then went back to work.

"Let's see... I've already made an entry about the glowing trees... And the grass that yells at people who step on it... And I've written about that portal to 'Heck'- boy that was a weird one. Just a bunch of overly-polite demons in red pajamas... Although, they did make pretty good tea and crumpets..." he muttered, as he chewed on his pen.

Dipper sat down of the grass, and leaned against a tree. Despite having gone around the world as a paranormal investigator, the forest of Gravity Falls still had some of the weirdest phenomenon he had ever come across. And it seemed like there was always something new to discover.

So, he sat there. Chewing his pen, and waiting for something interesting to happen. It would be a welcome change from the subject his mind kept wandering off to.

'I hope Pacifica's okay... No- she'll be fine. She's strong. Besides, she doesn't need me hanging around- I mean... She's just a little confused. No problem. I'm sure she'll come back to her senses sooner or later.' he thought. He frowned as he bit down on the pen- too hard this time.

Dipper coughed and sputtered as the taste of ink invaded his mouth.

"Shmebulock wonders... Is something... wrong?" asked Shmebulock, as he watched Dipper do his very best to eject every last bit of ink from his mouth.

"What? Wrong? No- I mean... I just bit my pen a little too hard... For, uh... For no reason!" Dipper exclaimed.

Shmebulock blinked. "Oh... Okay. As long you are okay..." he muttered.

Dipper twitched. "Okay? Why wouldn't I be okay!? I mean- I'm sure she'll be super happy when she realizes her mistake. Super _very_ happy. And she's out of my league anyway. I mean, you know, I- ... I shouldn't even be thinking about it! I've got very serious Pacifica to do! I MEAN WORK! SERIOUS WORK!"

Shmebulock scratched his head. "Is... Is Dipper 'freaking out'?" he asked.

"No! No- look at me! I'm working on my journal! Same as always! Everything is the same!"

Shmebulock rubbed his chin. "Is Dipper... scared?"

"Scared!? Scared- Scared? Sc- ... I'm not scared!" Dipper sputtered. "I've been through all of this before! Y-you know! I can't let this get to me! She'll realise how dumb it is to like me, and then she'll leave! It's-... It's that simple..."

"So... Dipper's _not_ scared?"

"No... No I'm not." he muttered.

Suddenly, a voice broke out from behind the tree. "He'll be sitting over there. Behind that tree. Probably staring off into space or something." said Grunkle Stan.

"Thanks, Stan." said Pacifica. Dipper let out a high pitched squeal, before jumping to his feet and looking around desperately for a place to cower and hide.

"No sweat, kid." said Grunkle Stan.

He could hear her approaching. So, he did the only thing any intelligent, mature adult could do. He picked up Shmebulock, and held him over his face.

"Dipper?"

Dipper coughed. "Uh- nope. No Dipper's round here. Names Shmebulock. Nice to meet you..." he muttered, doing his best to make his voice sound as gruff as possible. There was a long silence, as Pacifica stared at the man hiding behind a gnome that was just a bit smaller than his head.

Shmebulock cleared his throat. "Shmebulock thinks Dipper's... _Nervous_." he said.

Dipper scowled from behind him. "Thanks for nothing, Shmebulock." he growled. Shmebulock shrugged, as Dipper slowly put him back down on the ground.

Pacifica smiled at him. "Nervous, are we? Now why ever would you be _nervous_?" she asked.

Dipper frowned. He looked up at her to say something- only to find himself slack-jawed. Pacifica was decked out in Mystery Shack gear. Long jeans, a loose fitting shirt with a picture of a pine tree on it, and a pair of open-toed sandals. He had never seen Pacifica dressed like that before. In fact, the mere thought of it seemed _impossible_. And what's more, she still looked... Incredible.

He was quick to shake the goofy look off of his face, and replace it with one of simple curiosity. "Th-... Those are some, uh, interesting clothes you've got on... Pacifica." he muttered. Pacifica looked down at what she was wearing, and blushed.

"Oh... Uh... Yeah. Stan was nice enough to give me a change of clothes... Can you believe these only cost a hundred dollars?" she asked.

Dipper frowned, as he wondered whether or not he should have a private conversation with his Grunkle.

"D-... Do they... I mean... How do I... Look? I-... I kinda haven't gone casual in a long time..." muttered Pacifica. Dipper opened his mouth faster than he could think. "You look _amazing_." he said.

Pacifica looked at the ground and blushed, while Dipper inwardly kicked himself for his stupid mouth.

The two of them reveled in embarrassment for a few quiet seconds, before Pacifica finally found her voice again. "Thank you... Dipper." she said.

Dipper gulped. "Uh-... Yeah. S-so... Are you going home soon?" he asked.

Pacifica frowned, and put her hands on her hips. "No. No, I'm _not_ 'going home soon'. Why would you even ask me that?" she demanded.

"Well... You probably want to go make up with your fiance o-or... whatever..." muttered Dipper.

In the background, Shmebulock gulped and covered his ears.

"No, I do not want to go make up with _him_! Do you think I'm so desperate and shallow that I'd try and get back together with someone who doesn't even _care_ about me!?" yelled Pacifica.

Dipper didn't say anything.

"Besides..." muttered Pacifica. "Maybe I've already found someone I like a whole lot more..."

"... Come on, Pacifica... You... You don't mean that. I mean- think about it. I'm... I mean... You're just on the rebound. You feel vulnerable, so you're just convincing yourself that you like me..." said Dipper. "I've seen it all before... Before too long, you'll realise your mistake, and..." he trailed off, as Pacifica grit her teeth.

"I am _not_ just using you to make myself _feel_ better!" she yelled.

"Yes you are! A-and, it's not like there's anything wrong with that... You're in a vulnerable place right now, and I just happened to be there at the right place and at the right time, so... You know... I-... I get it." said Dipper.

Pacifica could feel her entire body begin to tremble. She looked at Dipper with more pure rage than she knew what to do with. She raised her hand. And Dipper flinched, expecting a slap. Or another punch.

It never came. Instead, she let out a sob. Dippers eyes shot open again, as he looked up at her face.

Tears were falling down her bright red cheeks, as her body began to tremble.

"Is it..." she muttered, her voice beginning to crack as she spoke, "Is it really that hard to think that... That I might really _love_ you?"

There was another beat of silence, as they stared into each others faces. Then, Pacifica ran away. Her face stained with tears.

Dipper felt a cold lump begin to form in his throat, as he listened to her footsteps get farther and farther away. He took a deep breath, and moved his attention back to his journal. 'Good... That's good. It's over now... Quicker than if I had just let it... If I'd just let it turn into something else.' he thought.

He nodded to himself, ignoring the way his eyes had started to water.

This was all for the best. And now he could get back to work.

Unfortunately, at the moment- he didn't feel like working on his journal anymore. In fact, he didn't feel like doing much of anything.

* * *

* ~ * GravityFalls * ~ *

* * *

Pacifica crashed onto the bed, and buried her face in a pillow. She had neglected to say anything to Grunkle Stan when she burst back into the Mystery Shack. She simply walked up the stairs, and went back to Dipper's old bed.

She bit her lip, as she felt fresh tears slide down her face. She wanted to slap him. To shake him. Anything to get the feelings of rage and anguish out of her chest. But she couldn't.

'Because... What if he's right? What if... What if I'm just _using_ him again... It's not like it'd be the first time...' she rubbed her eyes, and turned to face the ceiling.

"I'm... I'm such a mess..." she muttered. "What if... What if it's already too late? Maybe... I'm not supposed to be with anyone. Maybe the legacy of the Northwest family... Is supposed to end with me..." She wrapped her arms around herself, and took a deep breath.

"Maybe I _am_ just supposed to go back... And just be a miserable jerk for the rest of my life... Maybe it's my destiny."

The sound of her cellphone ringing suddenly cut through the air, sending a massive shock through her system. Without thinking, she quickly dug through her purse to find it, and flipped it to her ear.

"H-... Hello?" she croaked. She frowned at the sound of her voice. All her life she had learned to mask her emotions. Why did it have to fail her _now_?

"Northwest? That you?"

Pacifica bit her lip. It was Carrie. Carrie Westernsmithenshire. Pacifica took a deep breath before she spoke. 'At least it's not _him_.' she thought.

"Yeah... Yeah, it's me..." muttered Pacifica.

"Oh, thank the big G. You know I've been tryin' to get through to you all night, now. We all have. What's going on?" asked Carrie. "By the way, your on speakerphone. Trixie and Hershy are here too. Hey, girls! I got through! Say hi!" she yelled. Pacifica could hear a few muffled hello's from the other end of the line.

"So, listen- That fiance of your's has been spreading rumors since last night. You know, ever since you took out his front teeth. Nice job by the way- I didn't know you had it in you." said Carrie. Pacifica managed to mutter a 'thanks' in response.

"Anyway- there's some buzz online that you actually hooked up with that Dipper guy your always talking about. Is that true?" Carrie asked. Pacifica sighed. Just as she feared, the gossip train was already at full steam.

"I..." she began, only to find her voice suddenly go quiet. "I don't _know_..."

"What's wrong, Pacifica?"

Pacifica blinked. Carrie had just used her first name. She _never_ did that.

"I... I just... I'm... I'm so confused... He thinks... He thinks that I might just be on the rebound... And I mean... Maybe he's right. I only just finished having my heart broken by some jerk, and now... And now all of a sudden I'm all over someone else... It's so crazy." she said, as she felt more tears begin to form. "Maybe I really am just using him... To make myself feel better. A-and, if that's true... Then I really am the _worst_."

Pacifica could hear the sound of the phone being jostled about on the other end. Finally Hershy Befufftlefumpter's voice came on the line.

"Pacifica? It's me, Hersh. Listen to me. I've known you for over ten years now, right? We all have. Well during that time, not one day went by without you mentioning that boy's name. Not _one_. It was always- 'Dippers fighting giant spiders in the Mojave Desert' or 'Dipper rescued the Chupacabra from a group of crazed government agents'. Dipper this, Dipper that. Dipper, Dipper, Dipper. Sometimes it was all you'd ever talk to us about." said Hershey, before she passed the phone to Trixie Valledievanbosch.

"I concur. Pacifica, rebound or not- we can all tell you with great confidence... You are in love with Dipper Pines. You always have been." said Trixie.

Pacifica felt a smile curl up on her lips. "Thanks girls..." she muttered.

On the other side, Carrie had snatched her phone back. "And listen- I know we're not always on the best of terms, but I know a lie when I hear it. And that fiance of yours? He's full of it." she said.

Pacifica wiped away her tears, and took a deep breath. " _Ex_ -fiance." she corrected.

The girls shared a real laugh together. For the first time in a while.

"Yeah..." laughed Carrie. " _Ex_ -fiance."

* * *

* ~ * GravityFalls * ~ *

* * *

Dipper slid into his favorite trench coat, and adjusted his glasses. He wasn't ' _running away_ ' he told himself. He was just going to go out and make sure that the Manataurs weren't up to any trouble. That was all. And if he happened to not wind up not having to face Pacifica again- well, that would be just fine.

Dipper was about to leave through the main entrance of the Mystery Shack, when he felt someone's hand on his back. It didn't take long for him to figure out who it belonged to.

"Dipper..." muttered Grunkle Stan. "What're you doing?"

Dipper turned to face him. "Oh... Just... Uh... Just doin' the usual rounds. You know. Check up on the forest dwellers, make sure none of the townsfolk have been attacked recently... Just that sort of thing." he said.

Grunkle Stan sighed. "You know kid, you're getting to be more and more like your Grunkle Ford every day." he said.

Dipper stiffened.

"I mean, look at you. You've got the trench coat. The glasses. The trust issues... And you're more afraid of relationships than giant murderous monsters." said Grunkle Stan. Dipper frowned, and opened his mouth to say something- but Grunkle Stan raised his hand to stop him.

"Look- I ain't trying to be a jerk here. I love my brother. And I-... Well, I love you too kid. But listen... You can't just... Run away." said Grunkle Stan. "I mean, didn't you see yourself when you came home last night? Or this morning for that matter? That big dumb smile you had on whenever you thought she wasn't looking? Come on, Dipper. You wouldn't be _this_ scared if you didn't feel something for her." Stan grimaced at the words coming out of his mouth. Maybe Mabel had rubbed off on him a little _too_ much.

Dipper frowned. "I am not... I'm perfectly calm, Grunkle Stan. I know what this is. It's happened before. I'm just... I'm just making sure she doesn't make a huge mistake." he muttered.

"Oh, come on, Dipper. She's not a kid. And neither are you, for that matter. If it's a mistake, then she'll deal with it. But you know what? She doesn't seem to think it is. And I don't think that the idea of it being a mistake is what's gotten you all flustered. It's the idea that maybe it's _right_." said Grunkle Stan. "I mean, when's the last time you even _tried_ to be in a stable relationship with a girl?"

Dipper scowled.

"Look- I'm sorry. I'm not sayin' I'm any better, and I'm not sayin' I have all the answers. What I _am_ saying is... Just... Give it a shot, Dipper. And maybe... You'll make each other happy." said Grunkle Stan.

Dippers expression softened. "... I-"

Suddenly, the bell at the entrance rang out- as someone burst through the door. Dipper and Stan turned their attention to the doorway, as a tall bronzed man straightened his fancy looking jacket. Behind him were two much bigger and bulkier men in black suits and black sunglasses.

The bronzed man looked like someone who had been a little too eager with a spray-tan, making him look like a cross between a giant oompa-loompa and a bronze statue. His blonde hair was slicked back with hair-gel, and tied up into a ponytail at the back. His eyes were hidden behind a pair of fancy looking yellow sunglasses, and his nose seemed to be turned up into a permanent sneer.

The bronze man huffed, as he straightened the rose he had in his coat pocket. "Can you believe I had to enter this dreary _hovel_?" he muttered. The two giant men behind him shook their heads. "No sir." they said.

The bronze man huffed again, and turned his attention to Stan and Dipper. The man smiled. It was the kind of smile that could only be worn by someone who was about to try and sell you something. His two front teeth appeared to be made of gold, which only seemed to add a sparkle to his salesman's smile. As he carefully removed his sunglasses, revealing a set of big blue eyes, he gave his audience a polite bow.

"Good morning! I, am Prince Jackson Uppercrustman. It is an honor to make your acquaintance." he said.

Dipper rolled his eyes. "Hey look- he's wearing hair gel and he tied it into a ponytail. Who _does_ that?" he asked.

Stan nodded. "Yeah- don't get me started." he muttered.

"And did you know that his first name is actually _Prince_? I mean, his parents literally named him 'Prince'. I'm surprised that he hasn't been sued yet." said Dipper.

"Yeah. And did you get a load of that _last_ name? _Uppercrust_ -man? That can't be a real last name. I mean- what're we living in some kind of lame sketch show?" asked Grunkle Stan.

Prince kept his smile plastered perfectly onto his face. "Ah- I see my reputation proceeds me." he said.

Dipper rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I'll say. What do you want?" he asked.

Prince's smile seemed to grow. "Ah. I have come to seek out my beloved _fiance_. Is she here?" he asked.

Dipper didn't so much as bat an eye. "Nope." he said.

Prince frowned. "Oh... Really? Well, I happen to have it on good authority that she _is_ here. Unless she managed to sneak in here without you _knowing_?" he asked. His smile was starting to appear menacing. At least- it would have appeared menacing to somebody who wasn't Dipper or Stan Pines.

"Nope. Not possible. We've got a super expensive security system around here, right Stan?" asked Dipper.

Stan nodded. "Yeah, the stupid government won't let me go anywhere unless there's at least a dozen camera's on me at all times. Apparently I'm ' _dangerous_ '." he said, using air quotes on the word 'dangerous'. "I mean come on- how many crimes can a guy in a wheel chair even commit? Of course, the internet's really made the whole thing a lot easier- I mean, *ahem* No further questions!"

Dipper gave Stan a look, and then quickly turned his attention back to Prince.

"So, as you can see- no rich blonde heiress' around here. Now, if you'll just show yourself to the door, I need to go get some air-freshener. Some jerk just tracked in a _horrible_ smell." said Dipper.

Stan sniffed the air, and gagged. "Aw, man! What is that cologne!? Eau de escargot?" he asked.

Prince blinked at them. "Uh... It _is_ actually..." he muttered.

Stan scoffed. "Are you _kidding_ me? What is _wrong_ with rich people?" he asked.

Prince loudly cleared his throat, and sent them both a withering glare. Once more, it had no affect on either of them- which only served to make him even angrier. "Listen you _peasents_." he spat. "My people traced her straight to this disgusting little tourist trap. I know she's here. And unless you want things to get rough-" he clicked his fingers, and the two large men behind them pulled hand-held tasers out of their pockets. They held them out in the air, and pressed the trigger. Filling the air with the sound of electricity crackling.

"You _will_ tell me where she is." he finished.

Naturally, Stan and Dipper burst into laughter. "Oh, man! You see that? Now he's crossed over into cartoonish thug! How much you wanna bet he takes the next step to cartoonish supervillain and starts telling us about his plans to take over Gravity Falls?" asked Stan between bursts of laughter.

"Oh, man- you'd win that bet. Look at him! If he were just a few feet shorter, he'd probably pass for Lil' Gideon!" chuckled Dipper.

"Yeah! But at least Gideon knew when to cool it with the spray tan salon." said Grunkle Stan.

Prince began to tremble. "You... You _trash_..." he sputtered. "You... You think you can make fun of _me_!?" he growled.

"What? Us? Make fun of a posturing moron who thinks he's better than everyone else just because he got lucky and landed a date with Pacifica Northwest?" asked Dipper, his laughter slowly disappearing. " _Us_ , make fun of someone who tried to take advantage of her wealth to make a lame power grab for mayor? _Us_ , make fun of someone so insanely stupid that they managed to forget how _lucky_ they were?" By now, Dipper was speaking through clenched teeth. "No... we wouldn't _dream_ of it." he growled.

Prince put his hand into his coat, and pulled out a handgun. "You shut up, you sack of human _garbage_." he hissed.

Dipper stepped in front of Stan and while Stan let out a weary sigh. "Are you kidding me? You know this isn't even the first time I've had a gun shoved in my face this week?" grumbled Stan.

Dipper glanced at him. "Hey... I said I was sorry about that. How was _I_ supposed to know that Twitchy McSpasm was unstable?" he asked.

Prince grit his teeth. His grip around the handle of the gun began to tighten. "I SAID SHUT UP!" he bellowed.

Dipper rolled his eyes. "Give me a break. You're going straight for a gun? Talk about uninspired. The least you could do is at least try to throw a few taunts my way. Or what? Aren't you creative enough?" he asked.

Prince could feel his entire body start to shake, as a few of the veins in his forehead began to pop out. " _You_..." he hissed. "Her parents told me about _you_. _You're_ the reason she started questioning them. _You're_ the reason she doesn't follow _instructions_. And _you're_ the reason she insists on dragging me to all of those _charities_. I've thrown away perfectly good money- and why? To keep her happy. And what does she do? She freaks out on me. Punches me in the _face_. And why? Because I'm not the man she likes to pretend I am. I'm not _you_."

One of the bodyguards standing behind him cleared his throat. "Uh- I thinking cheating on her all those times probably had something to do with it too, sir." he said.

The other one nodded. "Uh-huh. And lying about that time you killed her puppy..."

"All those times you stole from her..."

"Plus, you were working with her parents behind her back- and she's got kind of a thing about that."

"Oh, and you also called her a bunch of naughty words behind her back. And then to her face... Which is kinda why she punched you in yours."

Prince sent them an angry glare, and the two large men went quiet.

"Well, maybe if I end you- she'll be the perfect little toy she was _supposed_ to be." he said, as his big smile slowly returned to his face.

"I'm not the reason she's no puppet. Nothing I could do would ever _force_ someone to start thinking for themselves. She was already like that. She already had doubts about her family. And she was already starting to feel bad about the way she treated others. Sure, I might've helped push her along, but... Even if I wasn't around... I know she would've still become the same smart, strong, capable woman she is now. Because _that's_ who she really is." said Dipper.

Prince pressed the barrel of the gun against Dippers forehead, and gently placed his finger on the trigger.

Dipper didn't flinch.

"Look at you... All you do is talk. You must be so _scared_." said Prince, as his smile continued to grow.

Dipper looked at him, and slowly shook his head. "I'm not scared of you, or anything else." he said.

As if on cue, Pacifica walked into the store through the back. "Dipper?" she asked. "Are you-" she trailed off when she noticed everyone at the entrance.

Dipper immediately broke out in a cold sweat. "U-uh... H-hey there, P-pacifica..." he muttered. "Wha- I mean... H-how are... How are you?" he squeaked.

Grunkle Stan rolled his eyes.

Dipper shuffled around nervously in his spot- because Pacifica was there and not because of the gun pressed against his forehead- which was admittedly, a little crazy. Even for him.

Pacifica frowned. "What're you doing here-" she growled as she moved towards Prince, before suddenly stopping in her tracks. Prince flashed the gun at her, and rested it back on Dippers forehead.

"Why, I just thought I'd get rid of some of this _trash_ sweetheart." he growled.

Pacifica felt all of the color leave her face. Her eyes went wide, as she felt an overwhelming sense of fear wrap itself around her chest. "No..." she whispered. "Please... Please no..."

Prince chuckled to himself. "Well, well... I never thought I'd see the day. _Pacifica Northwest_ , begging?"

"Don't do this..." she muttered.

Prince sneered. "Oh? And what'll you do for me?" he hissed. "Oh, I have an idea! Why don't you break off this disgusting little romance of yours right now? Go on." he gestured to her with the gun. "Hop to it."

Pacifica bit her lip. "Dipper..." she muttered. "I... I think I've realized something..."

Dipper took a deep breath. "Oh? What's that?" he asked.

"That... I hate you. I hate you so... so much. Your blunt... Your completely self-absorbed... And your a total dork. And... And you don't _trust_ anyone... Not even yourself. A-and... Your so filled with self-hatred... That you can't even believe that someone might really love you. But your wrong, Dipper. Y-... Your seriously _wrong_."

Dipper looked down at the floor, as the room went silent.

Finally Grunkle Stan cleared his throat. "Uh... Are you two kidding me right now? You couldn't maybe try and kiss and make up _after_ the idiot with a gun has been taken care of?" he asked.

Dipper coughed. "Oh. Uh- Sorry, Grunkle Stan. Hey, Prince?" he asked.

Prince sneered. "What?" he growled.

"So... did you know that some gnomes really like snails? In fact, I've got one in one of my pockets right now. I'm sure he'd be a huge fan of your cologne." said Dipper, as he opened his trench coat. "Oh, Shmebulock? It's lunch time."

Suddenly, a scruffy old gnome launched himself out of Dippers pocket, straight into Princes face.

"KYAAAA! GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!" he bellowed. Dipper pulled his hand back- but he was beaten to the punch.

Literally.

Pacifica ran across the room like a blur, pulled her fist back- and threw everything she had straight into his face. There was an enormous 'crack!', as a good number of teeth were sent flying all over the place.

Prince collapsed in a heap, while Shmebulock hungrily chewed at his scalp. Pacifica grit her teeth, as her hand roared with pain. "Ow... I hope I didn't chip another nail..." she muttered.

"Good one, Pacifica. Excellent form. You're a natural." said Grunkle Stan. Pacifica smiled proudly, and then winced again. "... I'm going to need some ice for this..." she muttered.

The two bodyguards standing behind Prince's collapsed form cleared their throats. "Uh... Would you mind if we just left? We were supposed to be on break like ten minutes ago." said one of them.

Pacifica raised an eyebrow, and gestured towards Prince. "What about him?" she asked.

The other bodyguard scratched his head. "Well... I dunno. Maybe send him to jail? He has done a bunch of crimes. Right, number two?" he asked.

The first bodyguard frowned. "Wait a minute- I thought _I_ was number one." he grumbled. The second bodyguard shook his head. "Nu-uh. I get to be number one on every day that ends with a 'Y', and you get to be number one every other day. 'Member?" he asked.

"Oh yeah..."

Dipper, Pacifica and Grunkle Stan watched the bodyguards walk away in silence. When they finally got into their car and drove off, Dipper was the first one to say something.

"Well... I guess money doesn't buy loyalty..." he muttered.

Grunkle Stan sighed. "So, seriously. What'll we do with this guy?" he asked.

Dipper stroked his chin for a moment, and then clicked his fingers. "Oh- I know. I'll just sprinkle some confession dust on him and send him to Sheriff Blubs Junior. Problem solved." he said.

Grunkle Stan nodded. "Good thinking, kid. Now come follow me, Pacifica. Let's see about some ice for that hand of yours." he said, as he wheeled his way across the room. Pacifica nodded.

"Okay... I'm... I'm not going to get an infection or something am I?"

"Well... I'll put some disinfectant on it too, huh?"

"Sounds good."

* * *

* ~ * GravityFalls * ~ *

* * *

It didn't take long for the police arrive to take Prince Jackson Uppercrustman away to 'the big house' as Grunkle Stan liked to call it. Which meant that everything had been wrapped up in a nice tidy little bow.

Almost.

When Stan entered the kitchen only to find Dipper and Pacifica sitting there in silence, he made a quick retreat and wished them both luck.

"So..." muttered Dipper. "We just sent your fiance to jail."

" _Ex_ -fiance."

"Right."

"You know... He was so sweet when we first met... And shy... Kinda like you. But after while... He started to change. I just... I wish I could've seen how bad it had gotten... before it was too late."

"It's not your fault, Pacifica."

"But it is- If he hadn't of met me... Maybe he would've stayed that same sweet man..."

"Or maybe he'd be pretty much the same- except without the spray tan."

Pacifica smiled. "Yeah... He did have a habit of going a little overboard with that..."

"A little? He looked like a _carrot_. A big _jerky_ carrot."

"Yeah..." Pacifica trailed off.

More silence.

"So... Pacifica?"

"Yes?"

"Well... Tonight... I was going to go look at the stars again. There's this little spot I like to go to- The constellations actually change into different shapes in the sky. But only from that one spot. It's... It's pretty cool."

"Oh?"

"Uh-huh... So... So, anyway... Um, would you... Would you like to go with me? It... It'll be fun. I-I promise."

"I'd... _Love_ to. But- on one tiny condition."

"And what's that?"

Pacifica reached over the table, and grabbed Dipper by the collar. Ignoring the pain in her hand, she pulled him towards her and pushed her lips onto his. Pacifica slowly closed her eyes, and Dipper did the same. A feeling of incredible warmth rushed through their bodies, as they felt the world around them seem to melt away.

After a few minutes, Pacifica broke away, and gasped for air as the two of the blushed redder than either of them had ever before.

"You have to promise me... That we can do plenty of that." she finished.

Dipper smiled. "Well... You drive a hard bargain... But... sure. It's a date."

As the kissed again, Grunkle Stan smiled from the entrance to the kitchen.

"Aw... I've never been so happy and grossed out at the same time..." he muttered. He checked the time on his watch, and smiled. It was time to call Mabel. And boy oh boy, did he have a story for her.

* * *

* ~ * GravityFalls * ~ *

* * *

A few hours later, Dipper and Pacifica stared up at the night sky. And watched hand in hand, as the stars made the form of a family portrait. Dipper and Pacifica, each with a baby in their arms. Smiling.

It was a future just around the corner...

* * *

* ~ * GravityFalls * ~ *

* * *

(AN: So, a few unfortunate souls asked for more. And so... Well, I did it. I hope I did a better job delving into Pacifica and Dipper here... Although they're both still pretty out of character. But hey- they are a lot older here, so... you know... That's an excuse, right?)

*PS: I'd like to extend a big thank you to the people who were nice enough to review the first part of this story. Thanks. I hope you guys are at least *partial* to this longer second part.


End file.
